


TOO YOUNG ( marlene mckinnon )

by burntout_ravenclaw



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: Angst, F/F, LGBTQ, Marauders era, Pining, wlw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:40:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28184064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burntout_ravenclaw/pseuds/burntout_ravenclaw
Summary: Celestia Black was raised to be the perfect pureblood girl. Daughter of the respected Walburga and Orion Black, Celestia was supposed to be a Slytherin. She was supposed to marry a pureblood man and carry on the Black bloodline. But she's not perfect. The Sorting Hat thought she was better fit for Ravenclaw. And her heart? Her heart wasn't searching for the perfect pureblood man. Her heart is set on Marlene Mckinnon, her brother's ex-girlfriend.
Relationships: Background Jily - Relationship, Background Wolfstar - Relationship, Marlene McKinnon/OC, sirius black/marlene mckinnon ( previous )
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER:  
> i in no way agree with or defend jkr's transphobia and bigotry. i myself am nonbinary and belong to the lgbtq community. i am aware of the hatred written throught her books and the impact it has. i just wanted to write a story based on books from my childhood. if you agree with any of jkr's views, don't bother reading any further.
> 
> playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Rfjl4jmL9nbvepErRce9V
> 
> NOTE:  
> this is my first fic and i hope it's good enough to join the amazing works of art on here. updates may be slow but this is the most motivation i've had to write in a long time. i hope you all like it <3 -- salem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a prologue of sorts

**SEPTEMBER 2ND, 1971**

"A Gryffindor?!"

Walburga Black's rage could be heard from two floors and closed doors. Her eldest son had been sorted into Gryffindor.

"I knew that boy was trouble, ever since he started talking." She was furious. Her son, a Gryffindor? Unbelievable. What would she tell people? How could her family move on from this great shame?

Celestia could hear her mother's shouting from her room on the second floor. She flinched, then got up from the four poster bed and made her way to the wardrobe. The young girl curled up on the pile of blankets that resided on the floor. Sirius had helped her set it up one day, when their mother's temper was too much for her to handle.

She let her eyes closed and tried to block out the noise. In that moment she hated Sirius, she didn't see why he could just do as he was told. There would be no yelling, no fights, no harsh words being thrown. They could be a big happy family. She wouldn't have to hide in her closet anymore.

They could have dinner as a family, Merlin knows that hadn't happened since the bird incident. Sirius had eaten in his room most nights ever since. Either that or there would be a fight by the end of the meal.

A pang of sadness passed through Celestia. She still loved Sirius, even if he caused problems. He was her older brother after all. Their family could never go back to the way things were now, no matter how much Celestia wished they would. Not that they were ever great. Even still, she made a promise to herself, she would be a Slytherin, everything her parents wanted her to be, so she would never have to see that rage that overwhelmed her mother until she saw red.

She leaned her head against the door of the wardrobe, attempting to block out the noise and sleep.

A soft knock sounded on her door, just as she was about to sleep. She knew it wasn't either of their parents. The knock would have had force behind it. That or they would just walk in. So, she knew it was Regulus.

"Come in." She cracked open the wardrobe door, her suspicions confirmed. She pushed the door open wider, then opened her arms only for her younger brother to fall into them.

She, Sirius, and Regulus were only months apart. She and Sirius ten months, and she and Regulus a little over a year. Still, Celestia took the role of older sister wholeheartedly. Though she was only ten, Celestia had grown up fast due to being a part of the Black family.

By the time Celestia was eight, Walburga had a list of boys from rich pureblood families that she thought would be suitable for her daughter.

She didn't hesitate to drop hints at parties or when they ran into a family at Gringotts. It was obvious to Celestia that in order to truly make her mother proud, she would have to marry a rich pureblood man and help carry on the Black bloodline.

She moved back to make room for Regulus. He crawled into the closet and sat beside her.

"It's never going to stop, is it?"

Regulus shook his head. "Not as long as we live . . . or they live."

"Well, we have each other, and Sirius, when things get bad."

"Always."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"You're going to be a Slytherin, right? When you go to Hogwarts next year? We can be Slytherins together, and mother and father won't be angry with us."

Celestia nodded. "Well, I suppose it's up to whatever test they give us. But soon we'll all be at Hogwarts, we'll be gone for almost the whole year. Only back for Christmas and summer."

Regulus nodded and rested his head on his shoulder. Celestia wrapped an arm around him and sighed.

The sounds of screaming eventually died down, hours after the letter had arrived. Eventually, the Black siblings made their way downstairs to deal with their parents.

They didn't know what their parents would do, but at least they could count on each other.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which celestia goes to hogwarts

**SEPTEMBER 1ST, 1972**

"Celestia, darling, are your trunks packed?" Walburga's voice carried through the house and into her daughter's bedroom.

"They're already done and by the stairs," Celestia called down.

"Excellent, hurry up and get ready so we can apparate to the train station in time."

Celestia finished tying off the last of her plaits with a pale silver ribbon. Her mother had picked it out, already assuming her daughter would be a Slytherin.

She smoothed out the black velvet dress and took one last look in the mirror before going downstairs.

"Celestia, dear, your braids aren't straight. Go redo them."

She knew better than to argue, so she made her way back to her room to redo the braids. She tried to do it as quickly as she could, while making them even.

Giving herself a once-over in the mirror, she nodded to herself and went back downstairs.

Walburga grinned as she descended the stairs. "You look gorgeous, my darling daughter."

Celestia breathed out a sigh of relief. She didn't want to have to redo them.

Celestia was the one expected to be perfect. The counter part to Sirius' problem child. Sirius was always the one in trouble, who could never seem to do anything right. And Reglus was the golden one. He seemed to do no wrong.

"Are we ready to go?" Her excitement was starting to shine through now that they were about to leave.

Walburga nodded and held out her hand. Celestia took it, and Sirius took their father's. With a wave of Orion and Walburga's wands, they apparated to the train station.

Celestia looked around, excitement and nerves turning in her stomach. The train station seemed more magical than it had last year when they had seen Sirius off.

Maybe it was because this time, she would be boarding the bright red train.

"I'll help get her onto the train," Sirius promised. The middle Black sibling hugged her parents. Sirius simply gave a half hearted way and waited for Celestia to head to toward the train. Celestia stumbled under the weight of her trunk but was determined to carry it to the train by herself.

Once their bags were stowed and they were boarded on the train, Sirius headed toward one end. "See you at Hogwarts, Cel."

"Sirius, can I sit with you? I don't know anyone else. Well, besides those obnoxious kids Mum introduced me to."

Sirius sighed and nodded. "Sure, come on."

The siblings had a habit of looking out for each other, even if they didn't want to.

"Thanks Siri!" she chirped, following after him, only to get a grumbled, "Don't call me that." from Sirius. Celestia rolled her eyes. The two approached a compartment with two boys inside, who looked to be about Sirius's age.

"Are you sure you want to sit with me?" Sirius asked, slight reservation about it in his tone. Celestia nodded. He sighed and opened the door. "Celestia, meet James and Peter." Celestia waved at them, slightly shy. Sirius walked into the compartment and took a seat, already looking so much more relaxed than he had before. Celestia noted the drastic change in his demeanor.

She stood by the door, not sure where she should sit. She didn't know why she was suddenly nervous, they were just Sirius' friends. She wanted to make a good impression, not be Sirius' annoying little sister. Maybe part of it was by sitting with them she was ruining the reputation her mother had so carefully crafted. After all, the Potters were blood traitors. Mother hadn't been happy when she had heard about Sirius' new group of friends. What if they thought she was like her parents? Well, she was, wasn't she?

James seemed to notice her hesitation and shifted over toward the window, indicating she was welcome to sit. Celestia gave him a small smile and sat down, close to the door, leaving space between them.

"You're Celestia, right? Sirius told us about you." Peter spoke up.

"No, I'm Regulus." It came out before she could stop it. She felt her ears heat up. "I mean -" James and Sirius burst out laughing, Peter following suit. A sense of pride washed over her.

The compartment door opened. A tired looking, brown haired boy stood in the doorway. Sirius lit up. "Remus!" Remus wrestled his bag into the compartment and took the seat next to Sirius. It took him a moment for his eyes to land on Celestia. "Hello."

Celestia waved at him. Looking closer, she noticed the multitude of scars on his face. She wanted to ask what happened to him, but bit her tongue. Her mother had taught her not to ask personal questions. She felt the train start to move, heading past waving parents. She looked to see if she could spot her parents and wave one more final goodbye, but there weren't there. They had already left, causing Celestia's heart to sink. They were probably just busy, that's why they had left. She tried to justify it in her head, they had their reasons.

The boys fell into an easy conversation about their summers. Celestia wasn't paying much attention, she was too busy wondering what kind of test they would be given. She had tried to ask her parents and Sirius but they refused to tell her because of some "tradition" or something. She thought it was stupid, why couldn't they know what was facing them? Maybe it was something terrible, like fighting a dragon. Did they have dragons at hogwarts? She didn't know.

"What house go you think you'll be in, Celestia?" The sound of her name snapped her out of her burning questions. She didn't need to consider Remus' question before she answered.

"Slytherin, obviously." The boys all pulled faces of disgust. "What? The rest of my family are Slytherins. Except Sirius, of course. And I don't want to disappoint my parents." The group went silent after that.

There was a knock at the compartment door. "Anything from the trolley, dears?" Everyone scrambled to get to the door first. Celestia let them go first, she had some pocket money and planned on buy sweets for the train ride. When they were done, she went up to the cart. Her eyes lit up at the amount of sweets there were.

She grabbed a chocolate frog and a cauldron cake. She handed a few sickles to the woman and headed back into the compartment.

Remus held up a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "Anyone up for a challenge? Whoever can eat the most beans with the least amount of gross flavors wins." Everyone held out a hand and Remus dumped some beans into each one. "Three . . . two . . . one . . . go!" Everyone ate a bean. Celestia pulled a face.

"Ew. It's earthworm!"

✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧

The train slowly approached Hogwarts. Celestia's breath caught in her throat, eyes wide. It was beautiful, unlike anything she had every seen. Sirius directed her to the giant man who was calling first years.

"Good luck." he whispered before running off to join the rest of his friends. She took a deep breath and made her way over to the man. If she was being honest, she was afraid of him, the way he towered over the students, taller than anyone she had ever seen.

When the rest of the first years had gathered around, they were directed to boats. She spotted and empty boat and went to it. Everyone seemed to have made friends on the train. Maybe she should have too. A dark haired boy took the seat opposite her. It wasn't someone she knew, or a child of the purebloods her mother had introduced her to. She didn't say anything, and neither did she.

The boats started to move, gliding across the water at their own accord. Celestia turned to stare at the castle in awe, watching as it got closer. It was huge, how would she ever find her way around?

There was a soft thud as the boats hit the shore. The tall man, who had earlier identified himself as Hagrid, led them to the doors of the school. A woman stood there, waiting. She looked to be in her late thirties, with dark hair and a kind but firm smile. "I'm Professor Mcgonagall, head of Gryffindor. Today you will be sorted into your houses. There is Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Your house will be like your family during your time spent at hogwarts." Celestia felt her nerves growing. The professor was still talking, but most of Celestia's thoughts were about the test they were about to be given.

Professor Mcgonagall led them through the large double doors. She opened a piece of paper and began reading the names.

"Adams, Laura."

A brunette stepped up to a stool and a hat was placed on her head. The room was silent. To Celestia's surprise, after a few moments of silence, the hat called out, "Gryffindor!" The girl got up and grinned, bouncing over to the Gryffindor table. Professor Mcgonagall continued down the list of names.

"Black, Celestia."

Buzzing with nerves, Celestia made her way to the stool. The hat was placed on her head, covering her eyes. _Very interesting..._ She startled at the voice that seemed to be in her head. _Clever, creative, thirst for knowledge..._ "Must be Ravenclaw!" Celestia's heart crawled up into her throat. She couldn't be a Ravenclaw, she was supposed to be a Slytherin.

One of the middle tables had erupted into cheers. Shakily, Celestia got up and walked over. A few older students welcomed her, but she could only manage a weak smile. She sat at the end of the table, hoping to not talk to anyone. She glanced around, trying desperately to catch SIrius' eye.

The howler her mother had sent Sirius last year played over in her head, she knew she would meet a similar fate.

"Vance, Nicholas."

The sorting was nearing the end.

"Ravenclaw!"

Celestia looked up, it was the boy from the boat. He grinned and went to sit at the table, her table now, already immersed in conversation with the older students.

By time the sorting was over, Celestia was starving. Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster, made a short speech, and then food appeared on the table. Students eagerly began to fill their plates.

She tried once again to catch Sirius' eye but the table was too far away, he couldn't see her. She took a deep breath, trying to figure out to do. The Sorting Hat must have made a mistake. She decided she was talk to dumbledore the next morning, there was no way for her to talk to him tonight, tell him it was a mistake and she needed to switch houses.

She realized most of the food was already gone, she filled her plate and half-heartedly started to eat. She was too anxious to enjoy the food properly, even though it was some of the best she had ever tasted.

Celestia was deep in her thoughts when the Ravenclaw prefect stood up and told them to follw him. They all stood and formed somewhat of a line, first years in front and upperclassmen lingering behind and talking to their friends.

He led them up multiple flights of stairs, stairs that moved, she couldn't believe it, up to the Ravenclaw tower. "The password to get in is the answer to a riddle." He pulled the brass knocker on the door and gave two short knocks.

To Celestia's surprise, a voice came from the door. "Where do Vanished objects go?"

The prefect, who as they walked has introduced himself as Theo, responded, "Into nonbeing, which is to say, everything." The door swung open.

"Alright, it's been a long day for you lot, so off to bed you go. Girls dorms to the left, boys to the right." Celsetia followed the rest of the first year girls. Magically, there was a dorm with her name on it. She entered, looking around. Her trunk was on one of the beds.

The room had four floor to ceiling bookshelves, she assumed one for each girl, and four four-poster beds. They had thick blue curtains around them, with matching deep blue bed sheets. She walked over to the bed with her trunk and pulled the curtains around her. She wasn't in the mood to talk with any of her dormmates. Besides, she'd be in Slytherin by tomorrow anyway.

The other girls were already talking like old friends. They attempted to talk to Celestia but she ignored them. Eventually, the girls went quiet, turning out the lights to go to sleep.

Celestia crept out of bed and opened her trunk, grabbing her pyjamas, which thankfully she had packed last so they were on top. She flicked on the bathroom light and changed out of her school robes. She took out the plaits as well, bunching up the silver ribbon in her hand with a frown. She looked at herself in the mirror, then shook her head and turned off the light.

She crawled into the bed, it was comfortable, though not as comfortable as her bed back at home. She tried to sleep, only to end up staring at the ceiling. After what felt like hours, she got up and wandered out into the common room.

She was expecting total darkness, but instead, tiny lights winked and shimmered, casting a delicate glow around the room.

As she walked down the stairs, she realized she wasn't alone. It was the same boy from the boat, Nicholas, if she remembered correctly. He must have heard her coming down the stairs because he turned to look at her from his spot on one of the couches.

"Oh, er- sorry, I didn't think anyone else was awake. I can just go-"

The boy shrugged. "It's fine, stay." She tentatively took a seat on the couch opposite him, tucking her legs underneath her.

"Couldn't sleep?" She nodded. "Me either. I'm Nico, by the way. Nico Vance." He let out a soft sigh.

"I'm Celestia. Black."

He grinned, a quick turn of his lips. "I know, 'Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.' The whole wizarding world knows." She didn't know why he put air quotes around her family name. He let out a quiet laugh. "Guess they aren't all Slytherins, eh?"

She glared at him, about to stand up and leave, this was a bad idea.

He held up his hands. "Sorry, didn't mean to upset you. If it helps, I'm the first in my family to not be a Gryffindor."

"Really?" He nodded.

"Yeah, my mum and dad are both Gryffindors and so is my older sister. She's a year above us."

"Maybe she knows my brother."

He laughed. "The whole school does, he and his friends are apparently famous."

Of course they were, and based on her mother's reaction over the summer, it made sense.

"Everyone in my family has been Slytherins. When Sirius got sorted into Gryffindor, Mother was furious. That's why I need to be in Slytherin. I'm going to Dumbledore tomorrow to tell him it was a mistake." It came out in a rush, she hadn't meant to reveal anything like that to anyone, let alone a stranger from the common room.

"Are you sure you can do that? I don't think that's how it works. And besides, what's wrong with Ravenclaw? Except the fact we have to answer a bloody riddle to get into the common room."

She shrugged. "It's worth a try." She couldn't help but crack a smile. "The whole riddle thing is going to be pretty annoying."

"And if you aren't here, I'm going to have to try to make friends with a different common room stranger!"

"Oh, so this is all some ploy to make friends? Stay awake and see what happens?" Her teasing was evident by the grin on her face.

He waved his hands in front of his face and winked. "You'll never know."

She shook her head at him and laughed. "You know, you're pretty funny for a Ravenclaw."

"You're a Ravenclaw too." He raised an eyebrow.

She nodded slowly. "Right, forgot about that. I was so prepared to be a Slytherin." A sad smile crossed her face but she chased it away.

"Well, if you can't change houses, I don't suppose you can just avoid everyone forever. You'll have to hang out with me of course, you'd be completely bored without me."

"Yeah, who else am I going to cheat off of when I don't feel like doing homework."

"Hey!" He huffed, holding a hand to his heart in mock hurt.

Celestia stood. "See you around, Vance, when I need homework answers of course." She winked at him and walked back up to her dorm.

Maybe being in Ravenclaw wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. 


End file.
